The project to open two emergency departments during the week in the capital, namely the CHL and Kirchberg hospitals, has been contentious. The measure was initially introduced to reduce waiting periods in A&E departments, but those running the departments are not too pleased with the decision.
As the president of the Luxembourgish Emergency Medicine Society (SLMU) Dr Emile Bock told the Wort, those in charge of the two hospitals are reckoning with higher visitor numbers, paradoxically. Effectively, the hospitals believe the measure will be counterproductive and cause more strain on services, as patients from other parts of the country will make use of the increased availability.
Currently, 15% of emergency department patients at Kirchberg hospital (Robert Schuman Hospital) come from the south of Luxembourg. Added to the issue is that despite regular recruitment over the past two years, the different hospitals in Luxembourg remain continuously under-staffed.
All nine psychiatrists who run the emergency department in the Robert Schuman hospital have expressed their discontentment with the new agreement and have sent a letter to the Minister of Health and Minister of Social Security. In this letter, the medical professionals have made it clear they are not prepared to support the reform under current conditions. CHL colleagues have offered their support in the dispute.
